


I've got a hundred million reasons to walk away (But baby, I just need one good one to stay)

by LouiseLouise



Category: 9-1-1 (TV)
Genre: Gen, M/M, Pre-Relationship
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-10-28
Updated: 2019-10-28
Packaged: 2021-01-05 21:28:55
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,263
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21215351
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/LouiseLouise/pseuds/LouiseLouise
Summary: The one where everyone finds out about Buck turning down millions to get his job and family back, and is shocked.





	I've got a hundred million reasons to walk away (But baby, I just need one good one to stay)

**Author's Note:**

> Idea from Tumblr user laumeidelfin's post [here](https://laumeidelfin.tumblr.com/post/188527876004/ok-but-evan-buck-buckley-turned-down)
> 
> Title from Lady Gaga

“Can’t we do this another time?” Buck asks his (former) lawyer, as the guy is standing at the top of the stairs, while the whole team, who was having a nice and uneventful dinner is now glaring at the man in the dark suit. Buck was back with his team, but that feeling of being a family was not completely back yet, memories from the arbitration still very present and hurting all of them.  
“I’m afraid not, Mister Buckley, since you’re refusing to return my calls and I do need some signatures to finally close your case.”

Buck walks toward him, trying to lead the man away from the kitchen and from the ears of his teammates, with not much success.

“I wasted enough time and energy and let’s be honest a fucking huge commission on your case,” lawyer guy says, dropping a pile of papers on the table where Buck was seated, “so we’re doing this here and now.”  
He waits for Buck to sit back and holds out a pen.

Hen is the first one to speak, the shock of everything starting to fade. “So sad about that commission though,” she says, her tone unsubtly loaded with sarcasm.  
“Yeah,” Eddie adds, “hope you have other innocent government agencies to sue so you can buy yourself a new golf club.”  
Everyone one chuckles at that, except Buck who’s trying to sign every damn document as fast as he can. This was not how he pictured his evening, though if he’s being honest, he could’ve avoided it by returning the lawyer’s calls. At the time he just didn’t have the energy to dive back into this mess.  
“A golf club,” the lawyer laughs, “yeah I could’ve bought an island with that commission if your friend here had made the reasonable choice,” he mumbles, taping on Buck’s shoulder.  
Chimney snorts. “An island? Are there black friday offers on islands or something?”  
“Guys please,” Buck begs, struggling with the last pages of the file, “just let it go okay.”

The lawyer smiles, though it’s not friendly. “I’ll let you do the math, if your limited brains can manage, but even the smallest commission on two and a half million dollars is still- well, fucking more than you’ll ever get in one of your lifetime. But sure, keep the jokes going, be my guest.” He grabs the file that Buck is finally handling him and smiles again before heading towards the stairs and out of the station.

The silence is deafening as the words settle in. Buck begs his brain to come up with some witty remark to break the tension, maybe something about the food getting cold, anything really, but his thoughts are a mess and his mouth seems on strike. He really didn’t want them to find out, didn’t want to explain anything. Not that he’s at fault on this but. He didn’t give up the money to buy so nice guy points, he doesn’t expect them to be thankful for the sacrifice. It wasn’t a sacrifice in any way.

“Millions?” Hen says.  
“Oh so you heard that too, great” Chimney adds, “I thought I imagined it. So, Buck, millions uh?”  
“It’s no big deal guys,” Buck manages to say, “let’s finish eating before our next call, please?” 

Part of him hopes they’ll let go, biggest part of him knows they won’t. He knows them. Adores them. But he knows he’s gonna need to tell the whole story at some point. He’s not even sure why he doesn’t want to, it’s just. It’s entangled with all the other memories from the lawsuit and he’d rather let that behind now.  
“Your face doesn’t look like it’s no big deal,” Bobby says.  
“I-” Buck has no idea how to handle this. “Listen guys-” he tries, but Eddie suddenly jumps off his seat, almost toppling his plate in the process before stepping away from the table, eyes closed for a moment.  
“Shit.” Eddie takes a deep breath before opening his eyes, looking directly into Buck’s. “I feel like such a jerk right now,” he admits, clenching his jaw. “All those things I said to you, I was awful when you were just- shit. You gave up millions and I treated you like- like…” the words seem stuck in his throat, his whole body drowning in guilt. His own words, shouting at Buck, seem to echo in his ears, amplified. He blamed his best friend for abandoning him, but he didn’t do better. He pushed him away and still Buck chose to come back to him, to them, over millions.

“We treated you like shit,” Chimney says, eyes on his plate, only now understanding why Maddie had been distant those past weeks. She knew, of course she knew, and it was her way of taking care of her brother. “We made you the asshole in this story when you could’ve just…”  
“Get yourself an island,” Hen adds, making all of them smile, those soft smiles full of sadness and remorse. She feels so disappointed in herself, for letting her bruised ego rule her mind, just because of the things that lawyer had put them though. For a moment she’d forgotten to be the kind and fair woman she grew up to be.  
“Nah I would’ve missed Bobby’s food,” Buck says jokingly.   
Bobby opens and closes his mouth a few time, the words failing him. “I hope you can forgive us someday, Buck,” he finally says, holding out his hand across the table for Buck to take. “What I can promise you is that we’ll all do our best to make you feel home again.”

Buck nods, holding on to Bobby’s hand, a warmth spreading in his heart, after so many days of feeling alone and left aside. There’s so much he wanna say.

“I felt hurt and it did make me act like an asshole, for a moment,” he says nodding at Chimney, before standing up to reach Eddie, whose entire body is still tense. “So I understand your anger okay?”  
“But you didn’t take the money,” Eddie says, “and when you came to apologize I lashed out at you, and that was not okay Buck, it’s not- I’m sorry.”  
“Hey you were right about me seeing only my side of it, though” Buck says, putting his hands on Eddie’s shoulders. “And you had all the rights to be mad at me okay. But it means a lot, that you understand what went through my head.”   
Eddie nods, trying not to think about all his latest street fights and how he still feels the urge to spend his nights punching strangers in the middle of a junkyard, and getting punched back. Buck pulls him into a hug and the thoughts go away, at least for a moment.

“You seem pretty okay for a guy that chose work over a lifetime of financial stability,” Chimney says.  
Buck lets go of Eddie, not without regrets, facing the table and looking at his favourite people in the universe, just after Maddie. “Money or my family, there’s never been an easier choice,” he says with the biggest smile. And just like that, it’s like a weight’s been lifted from his chest. The truth was easier to say than he had feared, after all.

He sits back down and so does Eddie. The tension fades away, even if they all know the road ahead is still going to be a little bumpy for a while.  
“Back to eating then,” Hen says smiling, only to be interrupted by the alarm going off. “Or not.”


End file.
